After our own bull sired calvings for the last couple of months, with the finale of mixed triplets earlier in the week, the A.I. calving period has started at last!!. We aim to be more autumn calving as it suits our wet/high (450ft above sea level) farm. We find it easier to look after high yielders calving into the shed, turn them out early in Spring, with the animal in good condition and hopefully in calf, ready to walk the distances to grass.

F109 Flame Blackberry EX93(2) just calved the day before yesterday with her 6th calf, albeit a bull by Garrett which we will be keeping for use in the herd. She is unfortunately home bred, but in a line of three successive 100 tonne dams. Her PLI is a very creditable 217, with no individual feeding (batches of cows get so many kilos dropped in the parlour) Her dam Addison Blackberry 2 EX92(2) has a PLI of 192, has done 100 tonnes of milk, with a bull Sandisfarne Garth being tested presently by Genus.

We had a Leif heifer out of a Oman cow last night, so things are on the up, by the way it’s raining (again)!